Push-pull toys are extremely well known in the art and have been provided in a virtually endless of variety of types, sizes and configurations. The term push-pull refers generally to toys which are intended to be rolled along a floor surface by the child user who either pushes or pulls the toy upon the surface. Thus push-pull toys have been provided having rigid handles allowing a standing child to push or pull the toy figure upon a play surface. Alternatively, push-pull toys have been provided which utilize a flexible string secured to the toy and therefore intended to facilitate a pulling action. In such toys however, it has been found that children often enjoy kneeling down along side the toy and pushing it rather than using a pull string. As a result such toys have become collectively known as push-pull toys.
While a variety of such push-pull toys produced by practitioners in the toy art has been virtually endless, generally all include certain major toy components. A typical push-pull toy included a body or chassis for combination of both which provided the appearance and basic support of the push-pull toy. Various appearance themes are utilized in fabricating the body portion of the push-pull vehicle and such themes have included fanciful people and animals, monsters both realistic and fanciful, toy vehicle and cartoon-like appearances.
Many push-pull toys are in essence a small version of a wagon in that some sort of receptacle or cockpit is formed in the toy body for receiving and supporting one or more cooperating toy figures. In addition, a variety of accessory elements are often included in push-pull toys. Early on, mechanical sound producing apparatus were provided along with moving elements such as Ping-Pong balls or the like. With the advent of low cost small sized electronic sound circuits, many push-pull vehicles appeared utilizing such circuits to enhance amusement. In still others, articulated members or limbs are moved during the play pattern and in still others, visual features such as flashing lights and the like have been included.
Unfortunately, the high degree of amusement value and accessory inclusion in push-pull toys often results in overly complex and unreliable products. Complexity typically results in increasing cost and manufacture which in turn can price the product beyond the reasonable means of the intended consumer. As a result, practitioners in the toy art have found that they must balance the features included against the cost of providing such features in a push-pull toy. Of necessity of balancing results in a compromise of features to be included to attempt to maintain costs at a reasonable price.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,697 issued to Pagano sets forth a PUSH-PULL TOY having a body supporting a plurality of rolling wheels and an upper shell resembling a turtle. A head also reassembling a turtle extends from the body and is supported for movement. The shell body supports a closed cavity visible from the outside within which a plurality of light spherical objects such as Ping-Pong balls are captivated. One of the wheels is coupled to a reciprocating mechanism which moves the figures head and which periodically cocks and releases a spring loaded plunger to shoot the bottom most ball within the closed chamber against its upper transparent surface. A handle is provided for gripping by the child user to push or pull the toy.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,179 issued to Reiling Jr. sets forth a WHEELED TOY VEHICLE WITH CAM OPERATED OSULATING CHAIR AND STEERING WHEEL having a hull similar to a boat with a cabin supported on upper side thereof. A simulated steering wheel is rotatable supported above the cabin and is operatively coupled to drive mechanism responsive to the rotation of one of the wheels. As the toy is rolled across a play surface the wheels rotate and the mechanism operative on one wheel oscillates a chair supported on the cabin and rotates the simulated steering wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 360,237 issued to Chiu sets forth a SIMULATIVE TOY VEHICLE having a large figure generally representing a dinosaur or the like standing on its rear legs and feet. A cart is supported upon the dinosaur tail and includes rolling wheels on the underside thereof. An additional wheel is supported between the dinosaur figures legs allowing the vehicle to be rolled across a surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,751 issued to Williams sets forth OVAL SHAPED WHEELS having a wagon-like body supporting a plurality of rolling wheels formed in oval or elliptical shapes. The major and minor axes of the wheels are off set to provide a randomly oscillating character to the toy as it is rolled.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,307 issued to Gabler et al. sets forth a PUSH TOY VEHICLE WITH OPERABLE MOUTH having a chassis and body supported by a plurality of rolling wheels. The front portion of the body forms a fanciful lower jaw and lower teeth while the upper portion of the body supports a pivotal upper jaw and upper teeth. One of the rolling wheels is coupled to a drive mechanism which in turn is coupled to the pivotal jaw with the result that the mouth created by the upper and lowers jaws is periodically opened and closed as the toy vehicle is rolled across the play surface.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,772,242 issued to McKay et al entitled WHEELED TOY VEHICLE HAVING POUNDING FISTS and 4,573,944 issued to Crow et al. entitled BALL SWINGING TOY VEHICLE together with 5,334,078 issued to Hippely et al. entitled TOY VEHICLE HAVING ARTICULATED JAWS variously describe toy vehicle which employ a moveable articulated member or limb in a push toy environment. Still other U.S. Patents provide an interior compartment or cockpit of some type in a push toy environment. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,243 issued to Carpenter entitled CHILD'S CART and U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,483 issued to Sun and entitled WHEELED TOY CONTAINER WITH SURFACE TO ATTACH BLOCKS are exemplary of such push-pull toys having carrying capacity.
Many push-pull toys maintain their resemblance to the basic wagon and are intended to be operated in a similar manner. Examples of such wagons-like push-pull toys are found in U.S. Pat. 5,538,267 issued to Pasin et al. entitled CONVERTIBLE TOY WAGON HAVING ADDITIONAL STORAGE CAPASITY and U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,831 issued to Valiga et al. entitled SIDE EXTENTION FOR A TOY WAGON and U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,222 issued to Bro et al. entitled TOY WAGON.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have improved the art and in some instance enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore amusing, interesting and cost effective push-pull toys.